Middle schools out of service

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Since the week right after spring break, Middle School leadership has implemented a new controversial policy that bans all cell phone use in the TSC campus.

This decision was made by the Middle School Leadership Team. The reason behind this choice was the high level of distraction the cellphones were causing to students, among many other problems. According to their research, they found that cellphones were not very appropriate for their age, because of the power they have over student’s brain development. The instruction was to not allow cellphones at any time, not even during breaks. In case the students disobey the rule, there will be no punishment, just making their parents pick them up during their own time.

“We had a unified rule, in which we agreed we needed to be consistent with it, the rule was students can’t bring their cellphones to school,” Juan David López, Middle School Principal stated.

As López said, this rule didn’t come from nowhere, it was created due to a lack of order in classrooms and on campus. After a sequence of other trials that weren’t successful nor helpful for students, they decided over this rule to help Middle School’s academic development.

“This decision was made based on a lot of research that talks about all the damage to the brain development and behavior, and also about all of the benefits of not having cellphones at that age,not as much about the use, but on the abuse students gave to their cellphones.” Alex Moncada, Middle School counselor explained.

Moncada restated and supported what López somehow said, it was basically the fact that students were not giving their devices a proper usage, instead of using them as a tool to learn and make things easier, it was becoming extremely hard for them to focus on academics due to the amount of dependency they developed around them.

“You are not the same when you are trying to be productive but you have your cell phone in your hand.” López clarified.

Due to studies and facts the school gathered, it was easy to understand how damaging it was for students to mix their cell phones with their process of learning. Harvard and other universities were the impulse and support that Middle School Leadership Team found to make this decision a reality in order to help their students.

“Based on a lot of research this decision was made, and I and all of us believe this decision was for their best.” Moncada assured.

Moncada was also part of the deep research middle school leadership team made, and he is also convinced that this will help students in many ways, including their learning, their social abilities, and their dependency.

“When you are 11,12,13 etc. It’s really hard to have control over your cell phone, and your cellphone will end up having priority over your studies.” Lopez claimed

Once again, middle school principal, demonstrate, its really worrying how this appliances dominate not only our brains but we as human beings.

“At the very beginning when we started this, we asked the students to fill out a survey where we can see how their emotions were at that moment, and at the end of this semester we will be conducting a similar survey, where we can compare if we have actually made an impact and prove it.” Lopez said.

Lopez clarified it’s not about talking and making decisions that are nonsense, he said it was their pilot as well, showing progress to TCS community to demonstrate it was for students best, and not a simple punishment.

“We have already seen other positive impacts, like seeing more students interacting to each other or hearing how communication between them have improved,having more interaction bassically and this is all ready worth it.” Lopez shared.